Vandy officials unopposed in election

February 25, 2002|By Peter Comings

"The casino issue has not been settled and I want to see that to settlement including a viable financial plan," said Haus who has supported the proposition of a Bay Mills Indian Community casino in Vanderbilt from the beginning. Federal legislation offered by Rep. Bart Stupak, D - Menominee, would settle a land claim brought by Bay Mills. In exchange for giving up their claim to over 200 acres in the Charlotte Beach area of the Upper Peninsula the tribe would receive 21 acres in the village on which they want to build a casino. The tribe has offered a percentage of its gaming revenue to be divided among the village, Corwith Township and Vanderbilt Area Schools.

Haus, who is also trying to take advantage of a community development block grant from the state to improve housing in the village, has continually returned to the possibility the tribe may be the only other source of funding to build municipal water and sewer utilities.

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"The biggest thing I'd like to see is more projects taken on by the village and township board," said Bates, a seven-year Vanderbilt resident finishing his first term on the village board.

Bates was an integral part of the village's recent negotiations with Western Land Services ending in a vote giving the company permission to bore natural gas lines through a half-acre of village-owned property north of Vanderbilt. Westerland Services, acting as a broker for MCN Oil and Gas, a division of MichCon, intends to drill 12 shallow Antrim gas wells in Corwith Township sections 15 and 22 and needs the pipelines to transport the product.

Bates said he is just starting to feel like he is coming up to speed on certain matters.

"I had no previous experience," he said. "I'm felling better about it now. There are still some unresolved issues like the Child Watch program and the casino. I think in my next two-year term there will be more talk about revenue."

Hawn, a two-year Vanderbilt resident, was appointed in December to fill out the unexpired term of Tom Forman.

"What'd I'd like to see is some cleanup on East Main Street and down the road we may have a chance for a youth center and a small chamber of commerce building," he said. Hawn had served on the village planning commission for one year and will continue as the trustee liaison.

"I've always been interested in the places that I've lived in but I've never served on any of the boards. This has a learning process," he admitted.

Carrick, a lifelong village resident, is finishing her 10th year in office. Carrick cited the idea of creating a credit union in Vanderbilt as one example of progress in growth. Village trustees have asked their attorneys to provide information and base investment costs on starting a joint credit union with residents of Corwith Township and employees at the Vanderbilt Area Schools.

"A financial institution is what we need here," she said.

Duff is finishing her first term as clerk. Brado, appointed in January 2001 to fill out an unexpired term, is running for election for the first time.

The election will be conducted March 11 at the village hall on Garfield Street.